Wireless signaling apparatus.



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UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE...

BOY A. WEAGANT, OF ROSELLE, NEW' JERSEY,ASSIGNOR TO MARCONI 'WIRELESS TELEGRAPH COMPANY OF AMERCA, OI NEW YORK, N. Y.. A CORPORATION 02H' NEW JERSEY.

WIRELESS SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 5, 1915, serial No. 19.135.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROY A. WEAGANT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Roselle, county of Union, State of New Jersey, have made certain new and useful Tmprovements in 1Wireless Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to apparatus for use in radio communication and its object v is to provide an improved means for the detection of electrical impulses or variations.k

The invention is an improvement on the well-known Fleming vacuum valve shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 803684, November 7th, 1905. Tn the improved apparatus shown and described herein there is employed a vacuum chamber, a hot electrode and a cold electrode with an intervening electrically disconnected element of conducting material in position between said electrodes and there is an electrode having an extended area located in position outside said chamber with its surface approximately parallel to the direct line of electron movement. A local circuit has its terminals connected with one of the electrodes within the chamber and the electrode outside the chamber, said circuit including an inductance, a capacity and means associating said circuit with the antenna. The telephone or indicating instrument is in a battery circuit having its terminals connected to the two electrodes within the The two circuits are electrically connected, or electrically associated by suit able means. y

Tn the adjustment and operation of the valve it is found that a certain adjustment of the voltage of the battery in the circuit of the indicating apparatus gives a maximum e'ect. When the hot electrode and the cold electrode are a comparatively short distance apart, the device is most sensitive, but the potential of the battery which gives the best adjustment is then low and the responses are comparatively weak; when the spacing between the hot and cold electrodes is increased, the potential of the battery necessary to give maximum -edect is greater and the responses are greater, but the sensitiveness, that is, the ability to respond to weak impulses is reduced. When, however, we introduce an element of conducting material between the hot and cold electrodes weltinol that although this electrode has no Specication of Letters Patent.

Renewed January 13` 1916. Serial No. 71,996.

external connections, we are able to use the short spacing referred to between electrodes, with consequent greater sensitiveness combined with the higher battery potential and consequently get increased intensity of response, thus combining the advantages of opposing conditions previously described.

In the drawings,.Figure 1 shows a vacuum valve` having an electricallyA disconnected element intermediate the inclosed electrodes; lFig. 2 shows such a valve, connected into two associated local circuits as a detector; Fig. 3 is a detail of a desirable form oit grid element.

The vacuum chamber Fig. 2 has a hot element and a cold element p; the hot element is supplied with heat by an adjustable battery al, in series with a rheostat r1 vand the filament f.

Tn the vacuum chamber o, mechanically supported in any suitablemanner, is a grid g. This is in effect a partition or obstruction of woven wire or as shown in Fig. 3,

a closely perforated plate, supported as shown in lFigs. 1 and 2 upon the inside oit the glass wall of the vacuum chamber. Tt isI disconnected, that is to say, it has no external electrical connections. There is an external electrode having extended area, such as a cylinder of copper Je, fixed parallel with the direct line of electron movement, the path of which is from the hot element f to the cold element p in a practically direct line except as influenced by the presence of the partition g. The two local circuits employed are electrically associated or connected by'uniting the terminals 10 and 13 at the junction with plate electrode p.

Tn the antenna circuit, a. is a capacity, c1, and an inductance 1. This inductance ,1 also functions as the primary of an induc tance coil, the secondary 2 of which is in a local closed oscillating circuit in series with a section of inductance 4, both coils 2 and 4 being bridged by an adjustable capacity c5. The circuit terminal 11 is connected to the lead 12, which is soldered to the exterior electrode lo and the terminal 10 of said circuit is connected to the plate electrode p,

Patented Jan. '7, 1919. l

that is, the cold electrode. The second local able capacity c, in parallel with the telephone.

As before stated, the element le appears to act directly upon the electron s treamaud 1s the essential element in impressing upon that. stream variations corresponding to the received signals whether these be damped or undamped oscillations. It `1s therefore desirable that the element la should be as intimately associated with said stream as possible but otherwise its particular form 1s immaterial. I find that giving itan extended surface parallel to the general axis or direct line of electron flow is an apparently desirable relation. The construction of the tube with a small diameter is a means aidin in bringing about the required intimacy o relation.` I

It will be noted that the element k as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings islocated at the high potential point of the secondary receiving circuit. This is a desirable arrangement for obtaining maximum sensitiveness.

The interrupting means g, as also above stated, is a means of favorably affecting the electrostatic gradient between f and p, so as to permit the use of an advantageous spacing and a high battery voltage, such a voltage permitting higher energy in the amplified signal.

In an application of even date herewith` Serial No. 19,184, I have described a Fleming oscillation valve as a source of oscillations of [high frequency for any purpose, z'. e. not only for reception of signals as herein described,'but also other uses, such as transmission. I intend to cover such uses of the improvement herein described, as will appear from the scope of the claims made.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a vacuum valve the combination of an ex austed chamber, a hot electrode and a cold electrode in the chamber, means for establishing an electron flow between said electrodes, a perforated metal screen in position in the vacuum chamber between said electrodes and an exterior electrode having au extended surface.

2. In a vacuum valve the combination of an exhausted chamber, a hot electrode and a cold electrode within said chamber, means for establishing an electron fiow between said electrodes, a convoluted wire or strip in position between said electrodes and an exterior electrode lhaving an extended surface.

3. In a wireless communicating apparatus, the combination of a vacuum valve having an exhausted chamber, a hot electrode, a cold electrodeand an intervening element of conducting material in position between said electrodes, means for establishing an electron How between said electrodes, and an eleccombination of an trode outside the chamber having extended area.

4. In a wireless signaling apparatus, the combination, with an antenna, of a vacuum chamber, a hot electrode and a cold electrode in said chamber, an intervenin element of conducting material in position etween said electrodes and an electrode having extended area, located in position-outside said chamber with its surface approximately parallel to the direct, line of electron movement and a local circuit having its terminals connected with one electrode within the chamber and the electrode outside the chamber, said circuit including an lnductance, a capacity and means associating said circuit with the antenna.

l5. In a wireless signaling apparatus, the

antenna, a vacuum chamber, a hot electrode and a cold electrode in said chamber, an intervening element of conducting material in position between said electrodes and an electrode having extended area located in position outside said chamber with its surface approximately parallel to the direct line of electron movement, a local circuit having its terminals connected with said hot and cold elements, respectively, and including a battery and an indicating instrument.

6. In a device of the kind described, a vacuum chamber, a`plurality of electrodes sealed therein, means for establishing an electron fiowv between two of the electrodes, means for intercepting the electron How and an electrode located externally to the chamber for influencing the electron flow in response to received signals.

In a device of the kind described, a vacuum chamber, a plurality of electrodes inclosed therein, means for establishing an electron flow between two of the electrodes, intercepting means located at right angles to the direct line of electron How, and an electrode for influencing the electron flow and located parallel thereto.

In a device of the kind described, a plurallt c of electrodes, means for establishing an e ectron How therebetween, means for inl gradient between the electrodes and an elec-V trode wholly without the chamber for affecting the electron flow in response to received oscillations.

ROY A. WEAGANT. 

